I rarely go into a store just to browse — to discover what it might sell that I’ve never seen
before, let alone considered buying.

When I need a product, I determine the store I must visit to obtain it, then make a beeline to
the appropriate department and get out as quickly as possible.

I know I’m an oddity in this regard.

Travelers, in particular, enjoy shopping for pleasure.

The No. 1 activity among domestic travelers is visiting relatives, the U.S. Travel Association
says.

No. 2 is shopping. (Rounding out the top five: visiting friends, eating at fine restaurants and
visiting beaches.)

Once transportation expenses are removed, about 50 percent of the travel budget is spent on
shopping, according to Global Blue, a shopping tourism company based in Switzerland.

I can see that, even though shopping while on vacation isn’t what it once was.

These days, many stores are part of chains that have outlets throughout the country — even the
world — with the same merchandise in each. And Columbus is such a shopping mecca that we don’t need
to leave town for a wide assortment of stores.

Still, shopping on vacation can be interesting and worthwhile. Even I enjoy it.

As I wrapped Christmas gifts this year, I realized how many of the presents were items I had
picked up while traveling during the year: a beaded necklace from the National Museum of the
American Indian in Washington, dry cider from a trip to the San Juan Islands of the Pacific
Northwest and so on.

In any area, once you get past the big-name stores, you can find wares that are unique to the
destination.

That, I think, is where the fun comes in.

I love finding an item in a street stall or a mom-and-pop shop that I think my sister or niece
will enjoy.

Such items come with stories.

We discovered the cider maker by accident while driving around Friday Harbor; we stopped and
stayed for a tasting.

The dried gourd ornament that rattles? A purchase at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida,
where we saw a ghost orchid and the multicolored painted bunting — both firsts for me.

Picking up an item or two in your travels can help spread the joy of a trip to loved ones — and
keep the joy alive for